Throughout the years, Grades of Green has worked with incredible students who have made their way into college and/or the workforce. These all star students have made long lasting impacts in their community and continue to do so pursuing their passions.
Umar has worked with Grades of Green for over 8 years. Since the beginning of elementary school, Umar has organized multiple award winning projects along with his siblings Ismail and Aisha to mitigate the impacts of climate change in his community. Umar recently finished his last year at Grades of Green in our SOAR program where we proposed a hydropower electricity generator to the West Basin Municipal Water District. Umar now attends Syracuse University majoring in Economics and Environment, Sustainability, Policy and Environmental Science. Umar will also continue his work with Grades of Green as a SOAR mentor for incoming cohorts.
Grades of Green has had the pleasure to work with Nkeng since 2020 with his team from University of Buea in Cameroon. Over the years, Nkeng has organized immense tree planting and waste management projects while partnering with major corporate and governmental partners in his community. In 2023, Nkeng started working with Grades of Green as an Ambassador to pass on his knowledge of sustainable practices to other schools in Cameroon.
Sam is a youth environmentalist, vegan, and alumni from Mira Costa High School. She is the founder and president of the Grades of Green Club at Mira Costa and a former member of the Manhattan Beach Sustainability Youth Council. Sam was a member of Grades of Green for over 8 years, and was awarded the 2020 Student Leader. She is passionate about local civic engagement to produce changes in her community. Samantha now attends UC Berkeley majoring in Marine Science.
Kyle was the president of Whitney High School’s Eco Club throughout the 2022-2023 semester. Kyle has been a part of Grades of Green for over 3 years and became a vital steward of environmental action throughout his community. During his time at the school, he helped organize multi-year tree plantings, fundraised for his school to use sustainable utensil alternatives, and much more! Kyle now attends UCLA majoring in Psychobiology.In addition to her educational efforts, Nicole uses her creative talents to support Grades of Green’s media and communications initiatives. She enjoys using storytelling to highlight environmental impact and inspire collective action. Being outdoors brings her peace, and she finds joy in the simple act of connecting with nature—touching trees and smelling flowers reminds her of the importance of slowing down and simply existing. In her free time, Nicole enjoys writing historical autofiction and reading. Her favorite books include The Giver by Lois Lowry, Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper Jones, and The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.
Grades of Green has had the pleasure of working with Marie for the past few years as a Grades of Green student from Cameroon. Over the years, Marie has organized multiple waste campaigns in addition to a tree planting project in her community of Yaounde. She now serves as an Assistant Lecturer at Fobang Institute for Innovations in Science & Technology. Furthermore, Marie started working with Grades of Green as an Ambassador to pass on her knowledge of sustainable practices to other schools in Cameroon.
Grades of Green educator, Tabitha G., from Westerly, Rhode Island has completed multiple toolkits with her students to limit and sort their waste while providing leadership skills.
Grades of Green team, We Are Genius, from Yangon, Myanmar is working to educate their community on how citizens can change their habits to limit deforestation.
Grades of Green student, Eunita A., from Nairobi, Kenya has planted over 11,500 trees with her family and community organizations.
Grades of Green Ambassador, Nkeng Joel Junior, is working with 5 schools in his community of Buea, Cameroon.
Students from Crescenta Valley High School in Glendale, California are helping elementary schools in their community compost their food waste.
Born and raised in Los Angeles County, Isabella studied Psychology at UCLA with a focus on Digital Humanities and Community Engagement. A lifelong creative, she’s been drawing since childhood and has explored many forms of art—from painting and digital illustration to video editing. During college, Isabella discovered a passion for user experience design, which combined her technical skills with her love for thoughtful, people-centered problem solving. She gained hands-on experience in UX, website design, and project management through various academic projects and internships. Isabella is proud to support environmental education through Grades of Green, where she brings together her creativity and advocacy. In high school, her artwork was recognized in an international ocean awareness competition, and in college, she received an award from a UCLA student organization for a piece highlighting the connection between nature and mental health. Outside of work, Isabella enjoys reading, drawing, and finding inspiration in everyday moments.